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Day: October 22, 2011

The good news on the flooding situation in northern Bangkok is that as of this afternoon, October 22, the floodwaters have been isolated to some streets on the eastern side of the river in the more urban areas of Nonthaburi Province. The same cannot be said of the western side, where Bang Bua Thong district in Nonthaburi on the outskirts of Bangkok sustained severe flooding. The situation seems to be worsening, albeit not as quickly as expected.

Today, we flew over the flooded areas north of Bangkok on our way to Chiang Rai, where we are now waiting out the floods. The bad news is that the area covered in water is absolutely huge! We flew at least 15 minutes over areas submerged in water; farmland, highways, and towns alike. Most of the water has no place to go except south toward Bangkok. Based on my own observations, I think the city is in for a sustained deluge rather than a quick dousing. Who knows how long this will last.

These photos were taken around noon on October 20 at the Rama IV Bridge in Nonthaburi. The river is bloated, and water levels are high. I imagine they’re even higher today, although I cannot confirm it.

Several of us visited the banks of the Chao Phraya River on October 20 to observe the water levels and assess the flood risk. While the markets under the Rama IV Bridge were (still) open, the floodwaters were lapping against the top steps of the ferry launch, and the river was surging. A broken barrier or rising water levels are all it would take to flood these areas.

Here are photos from the market below Rama IV Bridge on the east side of the river:

The ferry that crosses the river was still operating, but who knows for how long.

The market under Rama IV Bridge on the west side of the river wasn’t so fortunate. It was soaked by a meter of standing water.

Wat Samanau (Samanau Temple) still dry…for now.

There’s always a silver lining in every cloud…it’s easy to find a place to take a bath. Don’t worry if people are taking photos of you or the water’s contaminated. Take a bath while the sun shines!

Or, start a floating restaurant! When the going gets rough, just move on to better waters.